Wanna slim down? Eat Kimchi the Korean way

If one of your new year’s resolution is to slim down, then I have very good news for you if you’re a lover of Korean food, in particular, Kimchi. For Kimchi, also spelled gimchi, is said to be able to help reduce fats as this dish contains a high concentration of dietary fiber, while being low in calories.

Stay slim with Kimchi fried rice for supper
Well, how do I know? I don’t because I don’t eat Kimchi at all but I picked up this tip from Jo of Lolita, who told us how she learnt of it through her girlfriend who never put on weight despite eating a frequent supper of Kimchi fried rice! Interesting isn’t it? So I was intrigued and went on to do some online research and I found various sources promoting Kimchi diet as a way to slim down!

Research shows South Koreans have relatively low prevalence of obesity
According to this paper published by the Research Institute of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea has a relatively low prevalence of obesity compared with other Asian countries. The research suggests that the traditional Korean diet, which is a low-fat and high-vegetable diet, has played an important part in maintaining this healthy trend. And in discussing the traditional Korean diet, Kimchi was highlighted within the paper and how its ingredients such as radishes, Chinese cabbage, green onions, and garlic account for the high total vegetable intake.

Healthy diet with antimicrobial ingredients
Actually, it kind of make sense since a high cabbage intake contributes to lots of fiber plus the other ingredients of Kimchi promotes intestinal health and helps lower cholesterol. Plus, it’s not oily and it is also possible to make a Kimichi with low sodium so I guess it’s pretty healthy. I’m not into Kimchi but I do take a fair bit of Chinese cabbage and find that it always promote *ahem* flatulence. So yeah, you’ll get lots of fiber eating this one all right!

So any of you liking Kimchi or planning to eat tons of it now that you know it can help you stay slim?

I am not into kimchi either. But the safe effect can be made just by replacing some food with vegetables because of their low calories! My problem is that I eat too many carbs, so I should replace that with vegetables…

My SO loves taking veggies… he takes probably 1/4-1/2 cup of rice but takes 1 whole plate of veggies! And not only does he keep his weight on check, he has glowing skin, too! I sometimes feel like slapping him when he blushes naturally. Hahahaha!

Ecobeauty: Wow, does he inspire you? I find that partners do influence our eating habit. I hated vegetables like crazy in the past. Avoided anything that look green. Now, I’ve been influenced by my hubby and eat some of the leafy ones…but not so frequent.

good kimchi is hard to find if you’re out of korea. stay away from those you get from food courts, they’re horrendous. oh but i agree about the flatulence. I once ate too much of it at one shot and felt really bloated after the meal.

Hehe I skipped the kimchi too many years back in Korea. But recently has acquired the liking for kimchi. Try it a few more times you might like it. I prefer the ones bought from korean supermarket. There’s an outlet selling kimchi too in Takashimaya basement but do not like that one.

I love kimchi, and kimchi fried rice is one of my favourite no-guilt foods.

I never had the problem with gas though. I guess because I had it all my life?

I ate a significant amount of kimchi for a month straight for some reason (probably massive cravings for fried kimchi), and during that time I lost a little bit of weight and my acne completely went away.

…but I seriously doubt that eating it is the only thing that is keeping South Koreans so skinny. I think that societal pressure is probably a bigger factor!
My good friend says that whenever she goes back to Korea, people are always telling her she needs to lose weight (they call her Miss Piggy), and she is STICK SKINNY. I honestly don’t get it… 🙁

I took up eating Kimchi to get the mind-set of Korean as I take
a Korean Martial Art class daily. Well, the very first week I dropped
that five pounds that had been so difficult to loose. I don’t eat it
by it self but as a side or condiment. It makes a great Ham Sandwich
using a olive-oil based mayo on some good high-grain bread. Yummy!
And with Beef Ribs–don’t get me started.

Yesterday, I bought 32 ounces of kimchi in a bucket just because it was on sale…heheh. The taste is addictive, but I’m also interested in the nutrients and healthy bacteria benefits for my skin. With all that spice, there must be a lot of vitamin C (which I rarely consume). But if you buy in the store, carefully look at the ingredient list. Many of the ones I encountered have MSG. Next time, I may try making my own so that it has less sodium. I haven’t been eating kimchi consecutively so I can’t say how it’s affecting me.